Muggle Magic
by The True Optimist
Summary: Aurora Patterson is an orphan and has strange dreams about the wizarding world. Will her knowledge put Hogwarts in danger?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1.

London's Orphanage for Children.

A man walked brusquely down a cold, narrow street, his heavy cape trailing behind him in the dust. He headed confidently for a small shabby cottage covered by overgrown vines. An enormous snake appeared on the doorstep, its hard scales flickering sinisterly in the moonlight. The creature whispered something in a horrible spine-prickling language and the man smiled unexpectedly, revealing a pale face and greasy hair, "Inform the Dark Lord, the plan is ready. Harry Potter will die." The snake hissed in content and slithered back into the dark cottage. The man spun on his heals and disappeared.

"Auri!" someone shouted. "Aurora Patterson! Don't you faint out on me. Wake up missy!"

Aurora's eyes fluttered open and clenched onto the bedcovers with clammy ghost like fingers, sweat pouring down her face. "They're… they're going to kill him," she panted heavily.

"We've got to do something about it. We can't… we can't… help, we've got to," she cried and stared around the room wildly.

"Who?" the boy said skeptically, staring into the fifteen-year-old's blue musty eyes.

"Harry Potter," she wheezed. "You believe me, don't you Billy?"

The boy stared at her, concerned, and wiped her face with a towel.

"You had another one of your dreams again," Billy informed her. "Right now you're in London's Orphanage for Children."

"I- I know," she stammered. "But we've got to help, Billy, we've got to!"

The boy walked across the rackety floorboards and closed the window. He turned to his friend and said curiously, "Who is Harry Potter? You scream out his name every night."

"I-I don't know," Aurora replied honestly, blushing slightly. "He's a boy and he goes to this magic school and someone- someone horrible is after him, again."

"You have a wild imagination," Billy smiled.

"But these dreams…" her voice trailed off. "They're so realistic!"

Billy pulled her out of bed, the crazed dreamy look still in her eyes.

"I'm going to have breakfast," Billy said slowly. "You better come down in five minutes. Miss. Bustle doesn't give out food after 9:00. Auri, you know that." Then he turned and left, the door closing quietly behind him.

She sighed and leaned against the wall, chewing her lip. Billy is right. These silly dreams are simply nonsense, a token of her wild imagination. She'll always have strange dreams like these, but it wouldn't be reasonable to believe in them. "But what if… what if these dreams aren't silly?" Aurora thought. She waved off the thought and hurried downstairs in her nightgown to join the rest of the children for breakfast.

The dining room was a small square room with crowded tables and a dim light hanging from the old ceiling. If you were lucky, you could get a seat, but if not, well then… you ate standing up. Breakfast was always a piece of hard bread with butter and a cup of tea. Miss. Bustle was merciless and if you complained about the food, she would send you off to the Prison Room, and that was not a pleasant place to be in.

Aurora received her food quietly, lost in thought, and spotted Billy in the corner of the room, waving to her happily. She bit into the hard toast, and whispered to him, "Billy, this is very important. I'm going to leave for a while. You'll need to cover for me."

He choked on his tea and whispered back, "You're leaving! They'll catch you and punish you for good. Are you insane?"

She shook her head seriously, "No. It's about those dreams I'm having. I need to find something out."

Billy finished the disgusting tea and said quickly, a shadow falling on his face, "Those dreams again? I thought we talked about this, Auri."

She hardened her look and replied defiantly, "You don't need to remind me. So will you cover for me or not?"

"Fine," he sighed.

She hugged him tightly and winked, "Don't be surprised." She dumped the food in the trashcan and sneaked into her room. If her dreams were reliable, then she could still make it in time for the train station. Aurora slipped hurriedly into a pair of worn out pants and a simple shirt, and swiftly jumped out of the window and onto the soft grass.

"Here goes nothing," Aurora said in a shaky whisper, her heart thumping loudly, and took a run for the train station.

She walked quickly to the platform 9 ¾ exactly as it was in her dreams and stared at the wall. Her heart sank. It was stupid believing her dreams anyways… Now Miss Bustle will put her in the Prison Room for sure. But then she remembered suddenly and walked towards the wall, whispering, "Please let this work, please let this work."

She walked through the wall successfully and screamed in surprise and then laughed and burst into tears. Her dreams were very true indeed! In fact, this magical world of wizards and witches was at her very fingertips.

A sleek black train blew its whistle and Aurora stood in the middle of a perplexed crowd of huggers and nervous boys. She didn't have a ticket, but with luck, she was skinny enough and unnoticeably walked onto the train with the rest of the fussing crowd. She chose an empty compartment and took a seat by the window, sighing in relief. This train will take her to an enchanting world, the world she had dreamed so much for so long…

"Huh?" Aurora narrowed her eyes. A noise had disturbed her daydreaming. The knock on the door grew louder, more persistent. She unlatched the door and a girl about the age of 15 she guessed, took a seat. The girl had bushy hair and was wearing one of those black robes.

"Hi," the girl said in a friendly manner. "I'm Hermione. You're a fourth year, aren't you?"

"A-what?" Aurora looked at her quizzically.

"A fourth year is someone who is fifteen years old in Hogwarts school. You know that, don't you?" Hermione began in her usually teaching voice.

"Of-of course I know that," she replied carefully. "My name is Aurora by the way."

Hermione settled her bags on the lower compartment and polished her prefect badge. "Isn't it lovely?" Hermione said.

"Oh… oh yes," Aurora answered, unsure of what her new acquaintance was talking about.

"Do you like Hogwarts? I haven't seen you there," Hermione said conversationally.

"Oh… um… Hogwarts is wonderful," she answered uneasily. "I've been- around."

There was an uncomfortable moment's silence, and then her new acquaintance gazed at her watched, and nodded, "Come on now. We better get dressed. We'll arrive at Hogwarts in 15 minutes." She pulled out her trunk and slipped into new black robes, pinning the prefect badge at her chest.

"Didn't you… didn't you pack robes?" Hermione asked, confused.

"I must've forgot I guess," Aurora said, feeling the back of her neck glow.

"Well, alright then, you can borrow some of mine," Hermione flung a black robe at her. Aurora caught it in midair and fumbled a bit with it, unsure of how to put it on.

"Oh, come on now," Hermione said a little impatiently. "Don't tell me you've never put a robe on before."

"I-I have, but your robe is… is different," she struggled to find the right words.

"Balderdash," Hermione said, smiling. She adjusted the robes and loosened the belt a bit. "There. You look charming."

Aurora gazed at herself in the compartment mirror and turned to her new friend, "Your robes are so much prettier."

Hermione chuckled, and took her bags from the lower compartment. She grabbed onto Aurora's hand and pulled her out to the train's walkway, where many students in black robes were chatting happily. Two boys came running towards them, knocking a couple of students off their feet.

"Hermione!" the red haired boy said, grinning. "We kept looking for you."

"I was with her," Hermione pointed to Aurora. "Anyways, I can sit wherever I want, can't I?" Then she added, "This is Aurora Patterson."

"Auri, if you don't mind," Aurora winced. She didn't like her full name too much. It was very… odd.

"Nice to meet you, Auri," Ron shook her hand for a little too long. She withdrew and coughed a bit, "Likewise."

"He's Harry," Ron motioned towards his friend. "But you probably know about him. The whole bloody school can't keep its mouths shut." He grinned again.

"Harry?" she repeated slowly. "Harry who?"

"Potter," the boy with jet-black hair answered simply.

Her eyes widened and her face turned a pale shade of white. Clips of her dreams ran through her mind like a mad movie theatre. This boy was in danger. She screamed his name out every night.

"You're…" she licked her dry lips, but then sighed, "It's nice to meet you."

The train whistled quite loudly and lurched to an abrupt stop. Aurora was suddenly knocked off her feet , sitting dumbfounded on the ground. Ron, the red haired boy, pulled her up and slung a hand around her shoulders. She slipped away unnoticeably, smiling politely, and joined Hermione with her many bags. They glided against the dark murky lake on a large ship and were pulled ashore to a giant castle. They entered the enormous building and arrived at the richly decorated Great Hall with floating candles. Auri felt her shoulders begin to tense up. Obviously no one in the entire school knew her because she had never laid a foot on the school grounds. Sooner or later she would have to reveal her secret to their world: she was no witch and could do no magic.

"Auri?" Hermione peered into her thoughtful face. "Auri? Can you hear me?"

Her eyes opened with a great difficulty and she found herself on the cold tiled ground, her face shaded by thousands of lit candles floating in mid-air.

"Yes," she croaked. People from the four enormous tables turned to stare at her. She scrambled up and readjusted her posture, glaring back at them. Hermione patted her on the shoulder and took a seat at the Gryffindor table.

"I'll be… I'll be right back," she told her nervously and disappeared outside, where the fresh air calmed her senses. She took a seat on an old ancient bench and turned her gaze at the round silvery moon. "They'll never accept me," Auri thought miserably. "According to my dreams, people get sorted at the age of thirteen into four different houses. I'm 15! Even if they do accept me, I'll fail horribly. There's so much I need to catch up on…"

She sat there for while, breathing the cold night air, and returned to the Great Hall when the feast was finished and the food disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Auri!" Hermione ran up to her. "Where were you? You skipped the entire sorting and feast."

"I'm not hungry," she replied dully.

"Is everything alright?" Hermione said anxiously.

"Wonderful," she answered grumpily. "Let's go get some sleep."

They walked up a long winding staircase, each saying nothing, and a cold silence encompassed them in the enormous magical room. They arrived before the portrait of the Fat Lady. Hermione whispered "Dragon's Teeth" and the portal hole opened. The two walked inside and into the girl's dormitories. Auri swung herself on a bed next to Hermione and whispered "good night." Hermione whispered back, barely audible, and Auri closed her eyes, tumbling into a deep sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2.

Dawdling.

Auri woke up with a start. Hermione was shaking her furiously by the shoulder. She looked like a frightened chipmunk madly waving pieces of parchment in front of her face.

She leaned against the bedpost and suppressed a yawn, "Good Morning, Hermione. What's all this?"

"Our schedules of course," she explained hurriedly. "Here is mine. I suggest you get yours." She slipped into black leather shoes and added hastily, "You'll be alright now, won't you? I've got to find Harry and Ron."

Auri's lips tightened and she nodded briefly, trying to sound convincing, "I'll be fine. Don't worry."

"I'm off then," Hermione collected her textbooks and her wand, and sprung off for the door, calling behind her back, "Remember to get your schedule!"

"Oh, I'll get my schedule alright," she sighed. "The problem is I don't have one."

She slipped quietly back into bed and closed her eyes under the covers, falling into a deep, careless sleep. Auri woke up at 12:00 in the afternoon. She put on the robes that Hermione gave her and decided to explore the castle grounds. She grabbed some late breakfast at the Great Hall, and swallowing the piece of toast, nodded approvingly, "Yum. This is so much better than the food in the orphanage." Auri dawdled for what seemed like hours until she ended up in what looked like an owelry. It was a large spacious room that smelled terribly, and where owls roosted and picked at their seeds. Surely no one would find her in this disgusting place.

"Going somewhere?" she heard a voice behind her and turned abruptly.

A thin balding man stood before her with long gray hair with an orange cat with green flickering eyes. This man was known as Argus Filch.

"N-no, sir," Auri said rather nervously.

"Let's see… first day of school, no wand, no textbooks. What do you call this? Dawdling," he cut her off, smirking unpleasantly.

"Well, sir, I was just in the owelry for my - " she began.

"Obviously, you had no intention of going to your classes," he cackled and stroked the cat. He seized her arm and roughly pulled her out of the owelry.

"The headmaster will be happy to see you," he continued triumphantly up the stairs. "Albus Dumbledore will be very pleased indeed."

He whispered a password to a gargoyle, which opened slowly to let them inside. Professor Dumbledore was at his desk enjoying a cup of hot chocolate and candy from Berry Bots. He looked up, unsurprised, as if expecting this all along, and smiled softly, "I presumed you would have a student in for me today, Mr. Filch." He nodded and the thin balding man left with his orange cat.

"Well?" Professor Dumbledore stared at her from his spectacles, sipping the hot chocolate.

"I- um…" she began tensely, and then took a deep breath. "What I am about to tell you is very important, professor. I would… I would appreciate it if you closed the window, please."

Dumbledore put the cup of hot chocolate down and flicked his wand at the window. It closed quietly with a soft clack. Aurora desperately tried to hide her surprise and awe.

"Professor Dumbledore," she said uneasily. "I am what you call here… a muggle. I am an orphan in London. I have these dreams about your wizarding world and in those dreams I found the secret of platform 9 ¾. These dreams are very realistic, and so… here I am now. No wand, no textbooks, but only I plead, I beg of you! Don't send me away."

Professor Dumbledore stood up, and sat down, his hands shaking, and took a sip of the hot chocolate. The mug slipped out of his hands and broke, leaving a stain on the expensive Persian carpet. He cleaned the mess with his wand and said, his voice steadily calming, "You realize your knowledge has put our world in danger." Then he sighed, "I'm sorry my dear, but I will have to erase your memory and send you back."

"No, please!" Aurora cried, her voice cracking. "I want to stay here forever. I want to learn magic, sir. I want… I want friends. I've _made_ friends here. Please, don't send me back to that horrible place! I won't tell, I swear! If you want, I'll never leave your side, that way you can watch me more closely if you haven't trust!" She fell onto the floor, sobbing, her shoulders shaking.

"And I know something you don't," she wept. "I know that Lord Voldemort is planning on killing Harry Potter! He's returning, sir."

"This… this is not possible," the headmaster whispered, placing his moon shaped glasses on his desk. "How… how could you know? You have no connection with the Dark Lord. It's impossible."

"Well send me back then," she cried even harder. "But my dreams won't go away no matter what charm you place on me. They always come back. I always have nightmares."

Auri took the chair and flung it out the window, screaming, "You want magic, sir? I'll show you magic! And then you can send me to your stupid wizarding prison and I will rot and die! And you'll never see me again." She snatched an intricate lamp with hanging crystals and smashed it at the wall, along with many other objects. She collapsed onto the floor, breathing heavily.

"Care for butterbeer?" the headmaster asked weakly, dragging her to a chair.

"Y-yes, please," she mumbled, tears still streaming down her face.

Professor Dumbledore handed her a glass of foamy yellow liquid and she devoured it in one swallow, leaning back against the chair.

"I won't send you back," he said quietly. "You are free to attend this school." Auri flung her arms around his crying softly on the headmaster's shoulder. "Thank you sir, thank you," she whispered.

"Very well then," Professor Dumbledore said, readjusting his glasses. "You will come at 8:00 in the afternoon for magic classes. "Now put this hat on. It maybe late, but…" he chuckled and placed a Sorting Hat on her head.

"You've got guts and courage," the Sorting Hat mumbled. "Very clever, desperate I see. Brave and quiet… Kind, you have been through much… GRYFFINDOR!"

"Very well then," she said quietly, smiling. "Off you go."

By the time Aurora arrived in the Gryffindor Common Room it was getting dark. She spotted her new friends by the roaring fireplace, doing their homework.

"Where were you?" Hermione wrapped her arms around her, nearly choking her to death.

"Oh come on," Auri said mysteriously. "I had a little business to attend to."

"You look a little red," Ron noticed. "Have you been crying? Where were you?"

"N-no, of course not," she blushed. "I was at Dumbledore's office."

"Dumbledore?" Harry looked up at her, eyes narrowed. "What for?"

"I- I'll tell you later," Auri replied, looking away. "Especially you, Harry. You should know this."

"Know what?" Harry said testily.

"You don't like me much, do you?" she sighed and shook her head. It's very important, but I've got to trust you first." Auri smiled briefly and swallowed hard.

"I'm going to bed, alright?" she said wearily. "Good night." She stood up and left.

"She's a bit… odd," Hermione said uncomfortably.

"Yep," Ron sighed with a dreamy expression on his face.

"You like her, don't you?" Hermione said with a smirk on her face.

"What? No," Ron said, caught off guard.

"Ronnie's in love," Hermione giggled. He hit her lightly in the shoulder.

"She said something about trust," Harry said aloud, talking more to himself than anyone in the room. "She… she has a secret."

"That's quite obvious," Hermione scoffed and gathered her books. "Good Night, Harry. Ron."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3.

Lessons.

Aurora woke up early in the morning and her first action was to look over the schedule Professor Dumbledore gave her.

Schedule for Fourth Years

Potions

Herbeology

Charms

History of Magic

Transfiguration

Defense Against the Dark Arts 

She folded it into the back pocket of her pants and placed her books in a simple black bag along with the quill. She tidied up her hair a bit with a few black pins and by the time she was finished with her robes, Hermione was in the Common Room wide-awake.

"Morning!" Hermione said brightly as Aurora took a seat in an armchair. "You've got your schedule I presume?"

"Potions, herbeology, charms, history of magic, transfiguration, and defense against the dark arts," she recited happily.

Hermione nodded her head in approval. They headed for the Great Hall where they spotted Harry and Ron with Fred and George already devouring their oatmeal.

"G'Morning," Ron said, his mouth full. "Wike ah was sawung wis wis Awi."

"What was that?" Fred placed a hand behind his ear.

"This is Auri," Ron repeated, swallowing the food. "And Auri, these are my stupid brothers, Fred and George."

Auri smiled kindly and they shook her hand affectionately.

"Actually, he's the stupid brother," Fred corrected.

"We're the smart talented twins," George piped in. "He just doesn't got it."

Ron scowled at them, finishing his breakfast and bid good bye, tugging Harry to their first lesson.

Hermione hastily buttered her toast and swallowing half of it, waved and followed Ron and Harry out the door.

"Well… I… erm," Auri said uncomfortably to the twins. "I'm off to Potions."

Potions was in the dungeons, which was a long way from the Gryffindor Common Room as it as on Slytherin property. It was dark and musty, and she felt a sickening feeling in her stomach, walking down the narrow corridor. She followed a series of flickering torchlights and entered Snape's classroom. All eyes turned to stare at her and she wished she stayed in the Common Room, or even better, overslept again.

"I see you're the type that enjoys to interrupt lessons in progress," Snape turned from the blackboard and have her an unpleasant smile. "Who are you and what are you doing here?"

"Well, erm… y-you see…" she felt stupid, standing in the doorway.

"Yes? We're waiting," the professor stared at the clock and pretended to be impatient. A group of Slytherins sniggered.

"M-my first class is potions, s-sir," Auri stammered. "Th-this is potions, right?

"Quite obviously," Snape answered coldly. "Aren't you a very late comer."

"Y-you see, sir, I used to go to another magic school, but then I was transported here, and so, in a way, I-I'm new," Auri lied.

"I see," Snape walked quickly to her, staggering a bit, and pulled her to a seat. "That way, we don't have all day." He looked at her and gave her a quick nasty smirk. The Slytherins sniggered again. Auri fumed at the potions teacher, her cheeks still pink from embarrassment.

"… And for this potion, we will need the following ingredients listed on the board. Please take out your cauldrons," she heard the professor's voice from a great distance, lost in her thoughts.

"Are you deaf?" she jumped abruptly as Snape towered over her. "Where is your cauldron?"

"Sir, I don't have one," Auri answered, her voice quivering.

"Very well," Snape said quietly. "You may use one of mine from the cupboard." He turned to the class and said, "You may begin."

Auri chose an old looking cauldron from the cupboard and the ingredients listed on the board. Thankfully, they were all labeled neatly.

_Step 1. Fill the cauldron to the brim with steadily boiling water._

_Step 2. Throw the dragon's tooth to the center. It should be turning a dark blue. _

_Step 3. Cut the newt's tail exactly one inch and place it in the cauldron. _

_Step 4. Spread pixie dust. DO NOT stir. _

Step 5. Wait exactly an hour before adding the final ingredient, a piece of your own hair. Stir counter clockwise for a minute. Let the potion sit.

This was all very simple. She was surprised at how simple it was. The liquid turned a sky blue as stated in the book. At the end of the lesson, Snape walked across the isles, rudely commenting. He said nothing when he peered into her cauldron.

The most boring and tiring class was as she had anticipated, history of magic. Defense Against the Dark Arts was the most exciting because it was where she could use the wand Professor Dumbledore so generously gave her. She met Harry, Ron, and Hermione back in the Common Room doing their homework as always.

"Hi," Hermione greeted her, not looking up from her books. "How'd your day go?"

"Very nice, but I don't like the potions master very much," she replied honestly.

Ron shuddered. "Blimey, I can't blame you. Who likes him?"

"Oh, a letter came for you by the way," Hermione said, looking up from her books. "It's from Dumbledore."

"Dumbledore?" Harry stared at her. "Why would he…"

Aurora ripped open the letter and read:

Please see me in my office. This is your 8:00 magical lesson. The password is Nimbus2000.

Sincerely,

Albus Dumbledore

"What does it say?" Harry said, having a great difficulty concealing the excitement.

"Nothing special," Auri replied simply. "I've got to go. Don't wait for me."

They looked up at her curiously, Harry - suspiciously, and she hurried down the flight of stairs to Dumbledore's office. She whispered "nimbus2000" to the gargoyle, and a secret door opened, letting her inside. Dumbledore was at his desk filing through some papers. He handed her an old dusty book from his drawer, saying, "Read a chapter of this every night. There is background information on the school and our magical world, along with a glossary of terms." She muttered a quick thanks and took a seat in one of the large comfortable old chairs.

"You have your wand, I assume?" Professor Dumbledore said, looking up from his papers.

"Oh… yes," she pulled out the wand from beneath her robes.

"Now the first step is to learn how to hold the wand correctly," the headmaster continued. He took the wand from Aurora and demonstrated. "Now you try." She repeated the movement perfectly, her hand gliding gracefully through the air. "Very nice," Dumbledore said with a small smile. "You are a quick learner, which leads us to a few simple spells."

"The spell is called wingardium laviosa," the headmaster went on. "It is a simple spell that is used to lift objects into the air, like this." He demonstrated. "Be very clear and say the spell with the wand movement."

She tried but the cup that she was lifting barely budged, fidgeting in place. She must have looked discouraged because Dumbledore said, "That's quite alright, my dear. Practice makes perfect, as we all know. Try to do the movement smoothly, imagine you are embedding lines in the air. Perfect lines. Close your eyes."

She obeyed and very gracefully, almost carefully, lifted the cup into thin air. When she opened her eyes, she shrieked in surprise at her success, and the cup came tumbling down, smashing into pieces. Auri blushed furiously.

"You do not understand how gifted you are," Dumbledore said seriously. "Already you have learned this spell, being non-magical, while it has taken students weeks to learn. I am… impressed."

He searched his drawer for another book and handed it to her, "Here is another book. It is a book of spells, useful spells I should say. Try them a dozen spells each day. A month from now I will give you another book, with more difficult spells, and gradually, you will catch up to the rest of the students." She nodded. "Very well then, off you go," he said quietly. She turned to walk towards the door, but paused, and whispered, "Thank you, sir." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as he watched her leave, arms wrapped carefully around the books.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4.

Flying Lessons.

It was a Saturday, which was surprising because Auri thought this day would never come. She had her share of assignments, angry professors, and essays for the week. She was relaxing in the Common Room, finishing her reading on Quidditch with the book Dumbledore gave her. She saw Harry walk into the room with bed-hair in his pajamas yawning and snickered. Auri laid the book on a table and quickly walked up to him.

"G'morning, Harry!" she said rather cheerfully.

"Huh? Erm… Good Morning," he said meekly.

"Will you teach me how to play Quidditch?" she said instantly, her eyes pleading.

"Quidditch?" he stopped in his tracks as if frozen to the spot. "Well… can you fly?"

She sighed and admitted, "I've never been on a broom before." He stared at her wide-eyed and then his lips curled into a noticeable smirk, "I can't help you there."

"Please? Will you teach me to fly?" she clasped her hands together. "Please, Harry?"

"Have you got a broom?" he said, the smirk not slipping of his face.

"No," she replied through gritted teeth. "But the school has brooms."

"That will be five magic ones per day," Harry said as he held out his hand. She pushed his arm away and growled, "You know I haven't any money."

"Well then," he turned his back on her and walked away. "I guess I can't teach you."

She watched him, her arms curled into tight fists and tears burning her eyes. Auri couldn't hold it any longer and cried, "Harry you bastard! Why do you hate me so much?"

He froze and slowly turned to face her. "What?" he said faintly.

"Why do you hate me so much?" she cried, tears running down her face.

"Why would you think I hated you? Disliked, but not hated," she noticed a note of surprise in his voice.

"No, you hate," she said firmly, her voice trembling. "What have I ever done to you?"

He said nothing. Auri withdrew her wand from her robes and shouted, "Expellamus!" Harry landed harshly against the wall, rubbing the back of his head.

"Why did you do that?" he said angrily, now withdrawing his own wand and pointing it at her.

"Because now, I hate _you_," she replied calmly.

"Good to know," he muttered, getting up. He stood there a moment and rolled his eyes, "Fine. I'll help you."

"Wonderful," Auri grinned. "You can start by getting dressed. Meet me by the Quidditch field." She returned to the girl's dormitories and searched for Hermione, who was sitting on her bed and reading Life of the Unknown: How to Handle Pesky Pixies.

"Guess what?" she said, her eyes sparkling. "Harry's teaching me to fly."

"What?" Hermione said, finally looking up from her book.

"Harry's teaching me to fly," Auri repeated excitedly. "It's going to be wonderful. I've always dreamt of playing Quidditch."

"I never knew you liked Quidditch," Hermione said, returning to her book.

"I just learned- I mean, I've got to go. Off to the field," she fumbled with the right words and sprung out of the room and into the breakfast hall. She was so eager that she ate a spoonful of oatmeal and a bite of apple and ran for the field. It was very cold outside and she wished she had brought the single jacket that she owned with her. Auri jogged towards a small storage house and pulled out a random broomstick. It was old and quite shabby looking. She thought of exchanging it, but then she remembered that the entire storage house was filled with broomsticks that weren't in their best shapes. She was examining it and wondering how it was possible to fly on such a thing when Harry appeared on the field with his new and rather distinguished Nimbus200.

"You came," she said, observing his broomstick.

"You made the impression that if I didn't come, you would duel me every waking day," Harry retorted.

"Hmm," she grunted, crossing her arms on her chest.

"I suppose you know the basics of flying. That was one of the first things ever taught when you were a first year," Harry said gruffly.

"No, I don't," she replied a matter-of-factly.

"Well then," he sighed. "Mount your broom and push off the ground. It's kind of obvious how you operate it. The broom is kind of like a horse. You use your feet and arms to move it left and right. I'll be right behind you."

Auri nodded and licking her lips nervously, pushed off the ground and rose into the air. She felt her heart thump loudly and screamed into the air, feeling a heavy breeze on her face. Auri did a sharp right turn and glanced behind her back. Harry was nowhere near her as he had promised. She felt her ears turn red from anger and stared straight ahead. It was beginning to get foggy, and Auri was encompassed in a white sheet of endless clouds. Her shoulders shivered from the cold and she licked her dry lips, trying to concentrate. She slammed into something hard and smooth, fingering the surface, and slipped off the broom, tumbling down … down…. down… The last thing she saw was the sudden burst of sunlight and the endless landscape of white distant clouds.

Auri woke up at the Hospital Wing, her arm bandaged heavily, seeping with blood, and found Hermione, Ron and Harry at her side.

"How're you feeling?" Ron said apprehensively. "You had a hell of a fall."

"I'm alright," Auri croaked and knew it was a lie. Her body was numb and stinging, and her right arm was immovable.

"When you fell… Professor Snape was at his desk and he said he saw… blood on his window where your hand was," Hermione said hesitantly.

"Oh…" she smiled meekly.

"I'm sorry," Harry finally spoke up, not looking up at her.

"I know," she said quietly. "You promised you would be there if I messed up."

"Guess I did," he said uneasily.

Madam Pomfrey bustled out of her office with a green bottle and spoon, ushering the visitors out of the hospital wing.

"Well, my dear," she said, unscrewing the cap and pouring its contents onto the spoon. "You've had yourself quite a fall. You're in for a rough night, it's no secret." The spoon made its way into Aurora's mouth and she winced and stuck out her tongue in disgust, the liquid burning her throat.

"Now close your eyes and go to sleep," Madam Pomfrey said soothingly.

Aurora obeyed and almost instantly drifted off into a heavy slumber.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5.

More Flying.

Aurora woke up and leaned back against her pillow. Her arm was still heavily bandaged and deadened, but at least it wasn't seeping with blood. She was about to slide off the bed when Madam Pomfrey came scurrying out of her office, carrying a glass of water and two pills. She pushed Auri down onto the bed and tucked her roughly under the covers.

"I wasn't - " she began hastily.

"You were about to leave," the old woman finished for her. "And mind you, if people didn't stay here long enough Dumbledore would keep sending them back!"

Auri listened quietly and obediently swallowed the pills followed by water.

"That's better, my dear," Madam Pomfrey said encouragingly. "You'll have to spend Sunday here, unfortunately."

"But, I thought - " she argued.

"Do you want to heal or not?" Madam Pomfrey said sternly. "Oh, and your friends are waiting for you." Harry, Ron and Hermione walked into the Hospital Wing, Hermione arguing and scolding Harry loudly.

"You look… better," Hermione said carefully.

"Oh, thank you. For that reason they're not letting me out of the Hospital Wing," she said and rolled her eyes.

"Cheer up," Ron sat by her bed. "We brought you some Chocolate Frogs."

"Chocolate what?" Auri asked, amused.

"You've never had Chocolate Frogs then?" Ron looked like he was forced to eat medicine.

Auri shook her head and laughed.

"You'll enjoy them," he said and placed a small box of candy on her bed.

Auri looked serious as she said, "Could you… could you help me escape from here?"

"What?" Hermione looked disbelievingly at her. "You have got to get better. You don't look all that well."

"Who was saying I looked better?" Auri pouted her lips.

"She's right you know," Harry stared down at the ground.

"Fine," Auri said indignantly. "I'll see you tomorrow then."

The three friends bustled out of the Hospital Wing and Auri leaned against her bed to watch them go, chuckling.

Auri woke up the next morning feeling her body ache all over. She leaned against the bedpost, grunting, and squinted into the sunlight. Madam Pomfrey signed a paper ushering her out of the Hospital Wing and she arrived in the Gryffindor Common Room. She grinned as Ron and Hermione ran up to her, peering anxiously into her face.

"Are you alright then?" Ron said sheepishly.

"Better than ever," she replied optimistically and turned to face Harry. "I'll have you know you're still my Quidditch teacher."

"I - what?" Harry blinked.

"Of course," Auri smirked. "You wouldn't think I'd quit after that, would you?"

"I thought you'd rather stop after that," he replied uncomfortably.

"If you really don't mind, the lessons will start right now. Are you busy?" she said in a very businesslike manner.

"Well, I…" he began but then sighed. "I suppose it's my duty after what happened. Agreed."

"I'm off to the field then. Would you two care to join me?" she motioned towards Ron and Hermione.

"We'd better stick around for you," Hermione nodded, but then added hastily, "Just in case."

Auri frowned and was about to inform her that she could just as easily take care of herself, but then stopped and walked outside. The air outside was biting and chilly and the leaves crinkled softly under her feet as she made her way towards the field, Ron and Hermione at her feet. She pulled out a broom from the storage cupboard and rubbed her hands together in an attempt to create more heat. Harry placed his broom butt down on the wet ground and said, "I suppose you know how to fly… after that event, so I will explain to you the game of Quidditch. There are four people on the field: one seeker, one keeper, and two blodgers (please tell me if I am wrong). The object of the game is the get as many points as possible by scoring. The game ends when the seeker finds the golden snitch." He pulled out an old slender box and blew the dust off it. "This is the golden snitch," Harry held out a tiny metal ball with small wings on its sides. "You catch it and you win."

"What do the… the blodgers do?" Auri asked, having a difficulty remembering the correct word.

"They distract the players on the opposite team so it's a good idea to keep an eye out for them. They also score points," Harry explained. "And the keeper is kind of like a goalie. He tries to block the blodgers from scoring points."

"Interesting," she said slowly and thoughtfully, digesting his words. "I think I like the seeker position more."

"It'll take practice," Harry replied, rubbing some dust off of his broom.

"You think I'm not good it enough?" Auri asked haughtily.

"No," Harry replied carefully. "But if you've never flown before, it'll be hard.

Auri mounted her broom and naturally pushed off the ground, zooming into the air, the wind howling in her ears. She circled around the stadium, spun, and landed on the ground with a soft "thump". She leaned against her broom and stared at him, her eyes hot as molten coals, ready to burst and her pride slowly rising in her chest.

"That's… alright for a first timer," Harry said forcedly, not looking into her eyes.

Auri muttered something under her breath but then decided to bite her tongue and keep her cool.

"If you want to be a seeker, you'll have to practice more to make the team," Harry continued. "Fly every day at 6:00 in the morning."

"You're out of your mind," Auri shook her head. "I can't wake up that early."

"If you want something you've got to work for it," he told her informatively. "If not, you don't want this bad enough."

"I do want it," Auri replied angrily and spun on her heal.

"Next lesson is on Sunday," he called after her. "Don't waste my time!"

"And you don't waste mine…Teacher!" Auri shouted, infuriated. She stormed off into the Common Room, knocking a couple of confused first years, and plopped herself on an armchair by the fireplace.

"Is everything alright?" Hermione raised an eyebrow.

"How can you even be friends with him?" she cried suddenly.

"Who?" Hermione asked, confused.

"Harry!" Aurora fumed. "He thinks he's so good at Quidditch with his high-class broom, but I bet he isn't any good!"

Hermione looked surprised as she took a seat by her friend, delicately clasping her hands in her lap. "He's quite good, actually," she said. "Why are you so angry?"

"I don't know," Auri said desperately. "There's just something about him that gets me mad."

"You really shouldn't pay any attention to it," Hermione patted Auri on the knee. "There will always be people you won't get along with. He's had a hard past."

"Oh, I know," Auri scoffed. "Poor little rich boy being spoiled. It must be terrible."

"Don't talk about him that way!" Hermione snapped and reddened. "His parents were killed by You-Know-Who and for some reason he is still alive."

"Oh…" Auri said quietly. "I'm sorry. I know what it's like."

"You didn't know," Hermione replied in the same icy tone. Auri turned away, her face burning and her eyes wet from tears. She wondered when she would get the courage to tell him about her dreams and the danger he would soon be in. She stood up very slowly, as if the action was made difficult, and awkwardly disappeared out of the room.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6.

The Dream.

A man with greasy black hair and a long pointed nose was brewing a bubbling eerie green potion in the dungeons of Hogwarts. He chanted a series of spells with a queer accent and an inhuman throaty sound. One by one, the bubbles in the potion rose to the top of the ceiling, popped, and a human shriek of terror filled the room. The potion was illuminated and poured into a crystal vile where it turned into the clear color of water. He pocketed the vile, and limped towards the door. Voices… voices… endless voices and sounds filled the room with laughter, tears, and low musical notes that bonded together and then separated like a chemical symbol. And then the room filled with blood and a sword was thrown clumsily, clanging emptily on the floor. A thin shadow was laughing wickedly, wildly dancing on the stained walls, and a boy with black hair was bathing in the crimson liquid, his glasses broken on the floor.

Auri screamed and burst unexpectedly into the reality world, her eyes wide and streams of sweat gliding down her cheeks. She bumped her head harshly on the bedpost, panting heavily. Hermione was at her side, patting her hand and smiling uneasily in her school robes.

"I heard voices… t-there was blood and a sword… and a boy…" she breathed, and suddenly bit her lip, realizing who the boy from her dream was.

Hermione looked concerned but then smiled and said soothingly, "I'm sure it was just a nightmare. Now get dressed for your lessons."

Aurora obeyed, quickly slipping into her black school robes and half-heartedly combed her hair. She gathered her schoolbooks and cauldron, and hurried towards the Great Hall.

"G'morning, Auri," Ron waved at her, devouring a piece of buttered toast. She waved back meekly and sliced a piece of butter onto her bread, swallowing it down with hot tea.

"You don't look too happy," Ron noticed, biting into his toast. "Not enough sleep?"

"Something like that," she stared down into her tea. She would have to tell this boy Harry about her dreams sometime. But suppose… suppose he won't believe her, and then she would have to reveal her true identity, which would cause even more problems. She wafted the thought out of her head, and half smiling, bid them good-bye and headed for her first class. Already there were a few people in the potions room, sitting at their desks and staring glumly into space. She took a seat by the window and placed her textbook on the desk. Professor Snape appeared as soon as the room was filled up with loud, chattering students. He limped towards them, his greasy hair sliding into his eyes and suppressed a throaty grunt, leaning on his desk. Auri stared at the potions teacher, her mouth slightly open, and flashes of her dream came hurtling through her mind. Snape! Snape was the one in her dream creating the potion, the one that supposedly killed Harry… or did it? The professor limped towards her and jeered into her face, "Something particularly amusing, Ms. Patterson? Perhaps you would like to share it with the class." Auri quickly pressed her mouth closed and blushed, mumbling, "No, sir."

"Good choice," Snape growled and the Slytherins snickered. "Now then, for this day we will be making… Ms. Patterson, do you wish to interrupt me every second?" Auri's hand shot into the air as she remembered something very bold she was daring to ask the potions master.

"Sir, were you here last night making a potion?" she began uncertainly.

Professor Snape's face turned even paler than it already was and his mouth twitched. "I beg your pardon?"

"What I said, professor," she replied, not meaning to sound rude. The class hushed and the Slytherins leaned in to listen in on the conversation.

"How did you…" the professor began, his eyebrows furrowed into a straight line, and his greasy hair flopping up and down.

"So I am correct," Auri's lips curled into a content smile.

"You have no right to presume," Snape said in an even, steady voice. "What did you see then, Ms. Patterson?"

"You were… you were brewing a potion, sir," Auri said nervously. "And then the potion turned green and…"

"Isn't ravishing how some people can predict the future?" the professor said after a pause. "Unfortunately, you haven't any proof, and you also don't have any… significant powers." For a moment Snape's coal-black eyes bore into her own in a frightening, steady glare, and Auri shuddered but held his gaze. "You've got talent," Snape continued with a nasty smirk. "You are skillful at being late for class. Disrespect, Ms. Patterson. Now before you impose any serious accusations on your own professor, I will ask you to take out your textbooks and turn to page 31."

Aurora turned a bright red, and while she was murdering her ingredients her mind was on something else. There was something dark and unpredictable about Professor Snape, and she pondered if her dreams really were significant if he reacted so strangely to her simple accusation.

All throughout her next classes, Auri's mind couldn't stay focused and the professors grew weary and impatient of her. She finally decided to explain her secret to Harry, which she hoped would stop the torture and empty feeling in her stomach.

She passed a long winding corridor of bickering portraits and quickly whispering "Bats and Newts" to the Fat Lady, walked into the Gryffindor Common Room. Ron and Hermione were whispering heatedly and when she took a seat by the fire, Hermione turned red and pursed her lips.

Auri stared strangely at Ron and Hermione and gave them a quizzical look, which could only mean "what in the world are you trying to hide from me." Ron grinned sheepishly and Hermione stared down in her textbook, as if discovering some fantastic fact. Auri groaned but then shook her head, "Secrets are something that I shall have to put up with… Where's Harry?"

"Oh… Harry?" Hermione sounded surprised. "He's been out for a long time. Why?"

"I've got to… got to tell him something," Auri pressed the words.

"He's in Hagrid's cabin," Ron replied and Hermione slapped him on the back of his head. "Ow!" he winced and glared at Hermione.

"Why is everyone being so strange today?" Auri sighed and added, "Where exactly would that place be?"

"You don't know?" Ron was startled. "It's in the Forbidden Forest on the edge, but blimey, don't be seen or you'll get detention."

"Thank you," she replied, her voice slightly quivering, and found her way out of the castle.

The cold autumn air brushed past her hair and calmed her nerves. She took a deep breath and walked quickly towards a pumpkin patch. Professor Snape was standing profile and with him another man… or was it a woman? Auri gasped and automatically dropped down by a rather large looking pumpkin, her hair wrapping her shoulders. He looked past her head and stumbled towards her pumpkin, scanning his eyes against the landscape.

Then he pulled the man or woman's cloak and roughly lifted it to his eyes, hissing, "I'll have you know this will not go wrong. And keep a close watch on the long haired girl." Then he thrust a small vile with green liquid into the cloak and spun on his heal.

Auri pressed a hand to her mouth, falling completely on the ground. Her dreams are true! And this meant that she had to tell Harry now, or there would be a terrible mistake. She rose slowly from her hiding place and took a run for the small log cabin on the edge of the forest. She rapped on the door several times but nobody answered. She heard the haste stomp of feet and low voices. She knocked again, and a large gruff looking man with a shaggy brown beard opened the door.

"I-I-I-I-I," she stammered at the giant man. "I-I-I'm Au-auri. P-p-please d-don't hurt me. C-can I come in?"

The giant laughed heartily and dragged her into the warm room. "No need ter be afraid," he said in a friendly tone.

"I-I wasn't afraid," Auri blushed and took a seat by a small wooden table with tea.

Harry appeared out of a closet, arms crossed over his chest. "So Ron ratted, didn't he? Couldn't keep a secret!"

"Y-yes," Auri said uncertainly. "But I asked for it, so you shouldn't blame him."

"Now don't start fightin,'" the giant man warned, placing the teakettle on the old stove.

"What is he?" she whispered to Harry. "I-I mean, who?"

"He's a giant and his name is Hagrid, and he's a hell of a good friend, and he's not a what," he replied quite loudly.

"Shut up!" Auri shushed him. "You should be nice because I came here for a reason."

"Oh?" Harry lifted his eyebrows. "To steal my friends and to ruin my life? Or is there something else?"

"You're so…" Auri said through gritted teeth but couldn't help it. "Poor little rich boy! You didn't lose your parents the way I have!"

Harry blinked at her, startled.

"That's right!" Auri blinked back the tears. "I was given up and sent to an orphanage. It's a wonder I ended up here!"

He didn't say anything. She slammed her fist on the table hard, and shaking her head, said in a hoarse tone, "You know what? I'm leaving. I can't take this. I was about to tell you something important, but I think I'll just let you die!"

"What?" Harry yelled after her. Before he could say anything, Auri slammed the door shut and walked quickly to the castle, her head held high.

"Couldn't keep er girl with yer without upsettin'er, could yer?" Hagrid shook his big shaggy head, placing the teakettle on the table.

"Why does everyone think everything's my fault?" Harry replied angrily. "Why can't they lay off me for a bit?"

"Just because yer had a har' past doesn't mean that other people didn't," Hagrid said calmly, pouring tea into one of the cups.

"First Ron can't keep a secret, I get accused with some stupid girl, and now you Hagrid can't even be on my side!" Harry stormed out of the cabin, his invisibility cloak flaring off his shoulder.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7.

Resolutions.

Aurora Patterson woke up next morning with an empty feeling in her stomach. She grudgingly got dressed and ate breakfast in the Great Hall.

"So is everything alright, mate?" Ron asked her brightly.

"Hmm?" she mumbled, swallowing a cookie whole.

"With Harry," he clarified. "He was mad, wasn't he? Blimey, I shouldn't have told you where he was."

She gulped down some juice and placed the cup harshly on the table, spilling out its contents.

"Let's just say that Harry is obnoxious and thinks the whole world surrounds him. I've had enough of him," Auri replied in a steady voice, staring down at her feet.

"Oh," Ron said softly. "I'm sorry."

"No need to be," Auri said swiftly with a smirk on her face. "He's quite mad at you too. Good luck."

She was exhausted by the end of the week and ignored Harry whenever she got the chance. When he was in the Common Room, Auri walked off and in the Breakfast Hall she barely never had any breakfast. Her stomach growled loudly in Potions and she flushed whenever a Slytherin looked at her and snickered. But for all the money and embarrassment in the world, she could not bring herself to say anything to him, or to sit with him in a room. Her feelings were hurt, and as Aurora was, it was quite an experience in regaining her trust. "And it is his fault," she thought. "He shoed me off, and it's his fault he won't hear the important news. I'm done trying." As she was getting ready for bed, an owl unexpectedly flew into the room and dropped a small envelope on her bed. She ripped it open and read the two small words.

_I'm sorry._

She fingered it a while and then ripped it apart. It was easy to hurt her feelings, but it took twice the effort to restore them. Hermione slid off her bed and put a gentle hand on her shoulder, "I know how you feel. Harry may be a tough person at times. But he is also kind and loyal."

"Oh, yes," Auri made a face. "To you, to his friends! But I'm the one that 'stole his friends and ruined his life.'"

"Oh dear," Hermione said worriedly. "He said that?" Auri nodded.

"I'm sure he didn't mean that," Hermione sighed. "I'll go and talk to him."

"You don't have to," Aurora replied dully. "I don't care."

Hermione withdrew her wand from her robes and pointed at the at the shredded pieces of paper, whispering, "Repairo."

"Think about what I said," she smiled sadly and walked over to her bed.

As the lights were turned off, Auri stared at the ceiling and replayed Hermione's words over and over in her head. _Think about what I said._ "I'll think," Auri thought savagely. "But I sure won't forgive him."

She awoke to Hermione shaking her by the shoulder. "Hmm," Auri grunted and rolled off to her side. The shaking became more persistent and she reluctantly lifted her curly head towards the disturber.

"Wake up," Hermione whispered hoarsely.

Auri shook off the soft curls from her forehead and yawned, leaning on an arm. "Hi, is it school yet?"

"Heavens no," Hermione replied, surprised. "It's Saturday morning."

"Ohhhhhhhhhhh," Auri moaned and dropped her head. "Lemme sleep."

"Sorry, but Quidditch tryouts are today, and I thought you should know," Hermione spoke quickly. "After all, Harry's such a marvelous coach and I think - "

"Please," Auri interrupted, sitting up straight in bed. "Harry's the Quidditch Captain?"

"Well, why not?" Hermione made a vague gesture. "He's a good captain and last year he was the best seeker Gryffindor ever had."

"I think I'd rather sleep," Auri muttered and fell back on her pillows.

"Oh no you don't," Hermione tugged at her arm. "I know he hasn't been much of a friend lately, but you're not quitting because of that. Silly, really."

Auri groaned and dressed into her old orphan dress and walked over to the mirror to pin her wild mane.

"You'll need something warm," Hermione threw a woolen sweater across the room. Auri caught it in mid-air and smiled gratefully.

Outside it was bitingly cold and as she made her way to the field, she rubbed her nose, which was already turning bright pink. She gazed at the sky and grimaced as a group of heavy storm clouds settled in the sky. The field was wet and mucky, and she felt small compared to the line of experienced players with expensive brooms, and when she saw Harry she fought the urge not to hit him and run back to the castle.

He walked down the isle of fellow classmates and stopped at the center, booming, "Welcome to Quidditch Tryouts!" A supporting cheer arose from the crowd and promptly ended. "This trial is for seekers, so if you aren't a seeker, please leave the field!" he continued clearly, scanning his eyes against the line of people. A dozen students murmured and then left the field.

He unfolded a piece of paper from his pocket and yelled out names, "Henry Moth! Charlie Groove! Solstice McGuire! Abraham Foxley! Jeremy Lee! Drew Riley! Ben Driesdale! Sarah Cummings! Michael Corner! Patrick Grey! Jonathan Burks! Terra O'Neil!" As students heard their names called, they stepped up bravely towards the captain and grinned nervously.

"Is there anyone here I haven't called yet?" Harry cried after finishing the long list of names.

There was a silence and he cried out once more, nervous, "Is there anyone, I repeat?"

Auri sighed and stepped towards the captain, replying loudly, her voice slightly quivering, "Me! You haven't called me! Aurora Patterson!" A few heads turned towards her and she held her head high, more uncomfortable than ever.

He made a note somewhere on the paper and lifted his head, not meeting her eyes, "Alright! Will Jonathan Burks please step up and fly around the stadium!"

A tall, dark haired boy with wide blue eyes hopped onto his broom and speedily circled the stadium, performing a back flip in the air and finally landing with a _thump _on the ground.

Harry nodded and another boy stepped up and performed the same routine, and the student after that, and it all was endless and boring. Aurora tapped her foot impatiently on the frozen ground and was about to leave when he called out her name. She grabbed her broom with shaking fingers and walked towards the captain, biting her lip to keep it from trembling.

She took off into the sky, relaxing as the cold wind soothed her nerves and played with her hair. She flew for what seemed like a short amount of time when she plopped onto the ground, stumbling slightly.

After everyone flew and the process was finally finished, Harry rubbed his hands together and blew on them with his warm breath, saying, "Cold weather lately, which is why each of you rounded the field, but it was a good way of me to see your skills." He stuffed his hands into his pockets and continued, "The real test is here. I have put a spell on the golden snitch. Each of you will take off at the count of three and whoever finds the snitch will be my seeker." He noticed as a few students exchanged worried glances and added quickly, "However, if you don't get the part of the seeker, there might be a chance of you becoming a keeper, bludger, or chaser." He walked down the row of students and when passing Auri, he tapped her lightly on the shoulder and whispered, "Be good."

She frowned and looked to her left, but he was already in the center of the field, leaning on his Nimbus 2000, and she didn't get a chance to ask him what he meant by those words. _Be good… what in the world did he mean? Good luck? Find the snitch?_ And then she thought angrily, "What am I to him, a child? Be good. Be obedient. Is that what he meant?" She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice how the rest of the seekers took a step towards Harry and mounted their brooms. She bethought and also mounted her very ragged looking and old broom. Her heart was racing at the count of one, and at the sound of "three" her heart was beating so quickly that she was nervous and giddy all over. She took off strongly, rounding the stadium and leaning over to where there were less people.

And suddenly, she saw it – a round golden ball with fluttering wings right before her nose. She swiftly reached out her hand, but her fingertips brushed the surface of it and it zoomed through the sky like a comet gone mad. Others began to notice it too, and she took off higher into the sky, searching for the spot of gold. Auri noticed a dark shadow, falling on the clouds, and at first she presumed it was her own, but how could there be two shadows of her? Her head snapped to her left and staring behind she saw the boy with wide green eyes and black hair. His expression was fierce and his eyebrows crawled into a straight line.

Auri's face turned pale and she bit her lip as she spotted the golden snitch higher in the clouds. Teeth chattering, she sharply turned her broom and stretched out a trembling hand. She was surprised and upset as she noticed that the boy was there first, his face unreadable, already his fingertips touching the sacred golden-sun surface. But strangely, he withdrew his hand and it fell limply at his side. Without thinking, Auri's hand closed around the golden snitch and she pressed it firmly to her heart, feeling the wings beat against her palm. She stared at the boy with her lips slightly open and her eyes wide, but he looked into her eyes and nodded. Auri licked her lips and turning her back to him, sped back towards the field through a garden of clouds.

She landed on the ground and her hand shot into the air with the golden snitch. "I've got it!" she croaked. "I've got it!"

Harry turned to face her with crossed arms, but he dropped them to his sides when he saw the golden snitch.

"Y-you did it," he breathed. "You're the new seeker!"

She stood there, not knowing what to say or do and smiled slightly, which she always did when she was uncertain. He blew on his whistle and after a few minutes, the entire seeker group was on the ground, out of breath.

"Attention!" he called. "We have found a new seeker! Aurora Patterson."

As students began to grumble and pack their bags, Auri swallowed hard and found the black haired boy in the crowd.

"I um…" she began nervously, swallowing air. "Why did you do that? You could've had the snitch, but you let me… let me take it."

"You deserve it most, I think," he replied, not looking up at her.

"But you had it!" Auri shook her head. "And really, it doesn't seem very fair to me."

"It was my choice," the green eyed boy said, fastening and tying the bag to his shoulder. "And had you a better broom, you would've caught it."

"W-well," she fumbled doubtfully but then said quietly, "Thank you.. .for… for doing that."

He nodded seriously and reached out a hand, suddenly grinning, "I'm Jonathan Burks."

She shook it and replied shortly, "Aurora Patterson, but Auri, please, for short."

"What's wrong with Aurora?" he asked, joking.

"Nothing," she blushed. "It's long… and Auri, if you don't mind."

"I'll see you on the Quidditch Team," Jonathan grinned again.

"B-but…" Auri stopped him, confused.

"But I'm not a seeker?" he finished off. "The entire team will be posted during next week. I'm applying for keeper, too."

"Oh, well then… bye, I guess," Auri said sheepishly, and left the field.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8.

School and Secrets.

"Little Miss Fairy,

Stupid little ditz,

They say she was scary,

And put up lots of fits.

One - "

Auri cut herself off in singing the stupid tune when she saw Professor Snape and the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Turmoil whispering secretively in a dark corner of the hallway. She turned pale and quietly hid herself behind a column closest to the two teachers and listened in carefully.

"… You moron," Professor Snape hissed at the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. "You were supposed to do it today…"

"B-but that girl couldn't possibly know," the professor answered feverishly, backing away.

"You know everything, don't you Miguel?" Snape lifted him up by his collar. Auri clasped a hand to her mouth to keep from gasping loudly. Professor Turmoil struggled, being quite short at 5''1, and bobbed his head up and down like a broken doll.

"N-n-n-n-no I don't," Professor Turmoil stuttered, swallowing air. "I-I-I-I-I-I'm s-s-s-sorry, S-s-s-Severus. The Dark Lord will be h-h-happy f-for u-us."

"You idiot," Snape lifted him even higher, his eyebrows furrowed into a straight line. "Someone could hear you!" He dropped him roughly to the floor and continued in a low voice, "I want Potter dead tomorrow, you hear? The Dark Lord doesn't have time for mistakes."

"Yes, sir," Professor Turmoil replied like an obedient child being convicted of a felony a while before.

Auri watched him disappear, scrambling up the steps to the Great Hall and sighed freely. Suddenly Snape turned towards her direction with a strange expression on his face and reached a hand towards Auri's column. At that very moment, Professor McGonnagal scurried down the staircase and nodded towards Severus, followed by a group of students. He pulled his hand away, his upper lip twitching unpleasantly, and spun on his heal. Auri swallowed hard, shaking, trying to digest the information she had just heard, and barged into the Girl's Common Room, frantically yelling out for Hermione's name.

A small girl with short blonde hair lifted her head from a book she was studying and replied dully, "She's not here, so be quiet please."

"Where is she then?" Auri's eyes were wide.

"Check the Great Hall, or the library. Oh yes, today's Hogsmead day," the girl answered tiredly, as if the conversation was making her weary.

"What's Hogsmead?" Auri asked, plopping herself down on a bed.

"You must be an idiot to not know what Hogsmead is," the girl replied coldly. "I would've went but my permission form wasn't signed." She turned her eyes from the book and gazed at her. "Use flu powder to get there, it's a long way walking." The girl handed her a small sack of green powder.

Auri grabbed it and hurried to the nearest isolated fireplace. She thrust a handful of powder into the fireplace and yelled, "Hogsmead!"

She arrived, coughing, on a narrow street and spotted Ron and Hermione in a café by pure chance.

"Hermione!" she said rather loudly, barging into the café.

"I was wondering where you went. Didn't you know it was Hogsmead Day?" Hermione asked quizzically.

"N-no," Auri shook her head, taking a seat next to her. "But that's not important. Harry, there's something I really must tell you. And while I won't tell you all of my secrets, I think you should know this because it concerns you."

Harry stared down into his plate, not able to meet her eyes.

"Snape is going to kill you," she whispered across the table.

"What?" Ron yelped.

"Quiet," she shushed him, a bit irritated. "Now listen closely…" Auri explained her dreams and what she heard recently from Professor Snape and Turmoil. Of course, she left out the part of her true identity because she was sure it would cause even more problems.

"Oh…" Harry said softly. "I-it should have been expected."

"You don't say?" Auri said skeptically. "In your place, I would tell Dumbledore."

"Yes, Harry," Hermione looked concerned. "She's right. You really should."

"He wouldn't believe me," Harry replied darkly. "He's always been so sure that Snape was long gone from being on Lord Voldemort's side."

"As you can see he's wrong," Auri replied in a very Hermione-ish voice.

"But blimey… why would he want to kill you?" Ron gaped at Harry.

"The prophecy," Harry replied in a steady voice. "He read the prophecy and they automatically believed in it. One of us has to die. And they will make sure that I'm the one."

"Harry," Auri said, her voice breaking. "Harry, I'm sorry. I should have told you earlier."

"Not your fault," he said quietly. "I wasn't a present either."

"You've got to be careful," Hermione sounded worried. "Please tell Dumbledore before it… something terrible happens."

"Hermione," Harry sighed. "I've already told you. There is - "

"Unless…" Ron interrupted him thoughtfully. "Unless… Harry, you kill Snape first."

"Don't be an idiot, Ron," Hermione said irritably. "If Harry kills Snape, he'll have to go to Azkaban. And even then, the Dark Lord will be forced to take action and the results could be monstrous."

"So it's better if Harry dies first?" Ron inquired angrily.

"No, I'm just saying that it's better off - "

"Wait. Who's that?" Auri cut Hermione off in a deadly whisper, pointing to a tall, dark and black figure standing by the doorway.

Ron turned towards the doorway and lifted his eyebrows in surprise, "Blimey! Why, that's Snape!"

"Why would he…" Auri's voice trailed off as she wrinkled her forehead.

"Sh-sh-sh-sh, quiet," Harry said hoarsely, pulling out a silvery cape strewn with stars from his back pocket.

"Not your invisibility cloak again, Harry," Hermione frowned.

"Get under," he whispered to Auri.

"What?" she looked at him, confused.

"It's an invisibility cloak, you've got to get under it," he explained quickly.

She ducked down and they walked carefully over to the counter where Snape was ordering himself a drink. His eyes were scanning the room when they spotted an empty chair next to where Hermione and Ron were sitting. His lips twitched with suspicion.

"He knows," Harry breathed. "We've got to get out of here."

"And do what?" Auri said heatedly. "Let you die? We've got to find out what he's up to."

A short pudgy man appeared in the doorway of the café. Auri recognized him as the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Professor Turmoil made his way through the tables and acknowledged Snape with a nervous nod.

"Greetings, professor," he said a little too cheerfully.

"Shut up and listen, you fool," Snape said quietly. "I just received a message from the Dark Lord. I will retire from Hogwarts and now _you_ will play Dumbledore's favorite."

"B-b-b-but, won't they be…" Professor Turmoil stuttered.

"Suspicious?" Snape finished. "Yes… that's why your job is so important."

"M-my job?" the DADA professor looked even more nervous than before, shifting in his seat.

"Yes," Snape continued, taking another gulp of his drink. "Butter up Potter and play Dumbledore's favorite. For now… you must wait further instructions before doing anything else."

Harry dragged Auri to their friends under the invisibility cloak and then the four of them left the café.

"Well?" Hermione said anxiously. "What did you hear?"

"They're not going to kill me," Harry said darkly. "For now."

"Snape is going to retire," Auri added. "And Harry, be careful with the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

"Voldemort takes away my parents," Harry fumed. "And now, he wants to kill me because of some stupid prophecy which isn't even true!"

They walked back to the castle silently, each thinking his or her own personal thoughts, most of which were cheerless. The day took an unexpected turn and all of them realized they will have to fight Lord Voldemort sooner than they had anticipated.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9.

Retirement.

Aurora woke up with a terrible headache when a bushy haired blurry figure pulled her out of bed in frenzy.

"Hermione?" Aurora blinked and rubbed her eyes. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"Yes," she said rather impatiently. "It's 6:00 for your information, and you were right, Auri! You were right! They're holding a banquet in honor of Professor Snape. He's retiring."

She quickly slipped into her school robes and half-combed her long wavy locks, following an excited Hermione out the door. The Great Hall was decorated as almost exactly as it was on the very first day of school. Marvelous food was on the tables and Professor Dumbledore was in his very best midnight blue robes.

"I'd like to say a toast," Dumbledore stood up from the table and nodded towards Professor Snape. "To the finest potions teacher this school has ever seen. Severus, you must think twice before retiring. It would be such a pity to lose you." The Slytherins broke out in applause while the rest of the houses half-heartedly clapped in politeness. Now it was Snape's turn to stand up from the table. His cold eyes scanned across the room before stopping on Auri. He smirked unpleasantly and pretended to be greatly appreciative and kind.

"I take pride in my students," Professor Snape began slowly.

"Yeah, right," Auri muttered under her breath.

"And as of this day, that is why the Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher, Professor Turmoil, will teach potions. He has kindly agreed to do so. I will leave it to Dumbledore to find a suitable teacher for the dark arts. There are dark times ahead… a new life for a powerful figure in history… I trust he will chose accordingly." His eyes flickered when he said this. "It pains me to go, but I feel that I have taught all of you enough, and that it is time to have a new teacher for potions. I believe Miguel is very bright and an expertise in this field of magic. I wish you all well."

The Slytherins erupted yet again with whoops and enthusiastic clapping while the other three houses stared sleepily at the potions master. After one final speech from Dumbledore, all of the houses dug into the food on the table. Auri piled her plate with chocolate-dipped strawberries and apple pie, and watched Ron stuff food in his mouth with a small smile.

"The speech was strange," Auri turned to Hermione, finishing off one strawberry.

Hermione nodded. "Especially that part where he said "Dark times are ahead… a new life for a powerful figure in history." I suspect Dumbledore would be curious, but he really isn't at all suspicious."

"Maybe he's under a spell," Auri suggested.

"That's not very likely," Hermione shook her head. "Dumbledore is a powerful wizard."

Classes were canceled and Ron, Harry, Auri, and Hermione were left with free time on their hands.

"This is all very peculiar," Hermione said in the library, chewing on her lip. "Everyone is acting as if Snape's retirement is an everyday thing."

"I have a feel Voldemort is not quitting the war," Harry said gloomily. "He still has intentions to control the wizarding world, and I think it's going to happen soon. Very soon."

"But Harry," Hermione said anxiously. "Your dreams about Voldemort stopped, didn't they? Maybe that means…."

"No!" Harry said rather loudly. "Doesn't anyone believe me?"

"My dreams haven't stopped," Auri said quietly.

"What?" Harry said in disbelief.

"They're really nothing," she continued, feeling a hard knot in her throat. "But I keep having this same dream repeated over and over… I-I see Voldemort's face and… and then a room starts to fill up with blood and I'm in it. You see, Harry, I think you're not the one that might die. It's me."

"That's ridiculous," Hermione said angrily, looking up from her copy of Powerful Potions and their Uses in Daily Life. "Nothing's going to happen to you."

Auri swallowed the knot in her throat, but didn't say anything.

"Maybe you're related to Voldemort," Harry suggested in a low voice. Hermione shuddered.

"N-no," Auri shook her head, thinking of her secret. They would surely expel her from the school and put endless charms on her to let her forget about the magical world if they ever found out.

"I'm the one that's supposed to be in danger," Harry said egotistically.

"You know, this isn't _fun_," Auri felt like crying. "I want this to end just as much as you do."

"And then you can play my part of the 'hero' and save the wizarding world, and become famous," he replied sarcastically.

"I've… I've got to go," Auri said in a high-pitched voice that didn't suite her well. She collected all of her books and headed out the library door, biting back the tears.

"Why do you always have to do that, Harry?" Hermione said wearily, sighing.

"Do what?" he pretended not to notice.

"Oh, don't be stupid," Hermione narrowed her eyes. "You always have to say a rude comment that will make Auri leave. That's the last thing she needs right now."

Auri walked swiftly to the Gryffindor Common Room with eyes half closed and wet from tears. She felt like screaming and slapping Harry good and hard on the face. Her hands curled into fists as she stormed into the common room, yelling "pink pixies" to the Fat Lady. She plopped herself down on a red armchair with crossed arms, staring at the ceiling for a few blank moments and fuming. Auri noticed a newspaper on the small table and picked it up to read "The Daily Prophet." "That must be their newspaper," she thought and turned the page to read a major headline: 'Death Eaters escape from Azkaban.'

"What?" she whispered in disbelief. "No one has ever escaped from Azkaban before!"

_Death Eaters Escape from Azkaban! _

_By: Sean Muffin_

_Just recently on November 25 three death eaters were reported missing from none other than Azkaban. Their names are Xan Dee, Claire Loot, and Stone Black. If you see any suspicious looking passengers, please be sure to report to the Daily Prophet. If found, the reward is a Daily Prophet T-shirt and 500 galleons. This is very important! This could be a provider of new information for the war against the Dark Lord. Have haste and support us! _

Auri didn't finish reading. She folded the newspaper and placed it in her bag, and walked quickly out of the common room and into the library. She was lucky because Harry and Hermione were still there.

"Hi," Auri said breathlessly, placing her bag on the table and taking a seat.

"Harry would like a word with you," Hermione said, glaring at Harry.

"No need for any apologies," Auri said with a small smile. "It's quite obvious that Harry and I will never get along. Anyways, that's not why I came. Did you see the latest issue of the Daily Prophet?" And not waiting for an answer, she placed the newspaper on the table and turned to the article concerning Death Eaters.

Hermione briefly scanned the Daily Prophet, and then pressed her fingers to her mouth and turned to look at Harry.

"Death Eaters have escaped from Azkaban," she said softly.

He grabbed the Daily Prophet from her hands and quickly read the article.

"I bet this has everything to do with Snape's retirement," he said gravely.

"That's not possible," Hermione disagreed. "Snape retired only today, and I don't think it would have taken him barely a couple of minutes to escape with the Death Eaters."

"I think," Auri said carefully. "I think their escape wasn't a coincidence. I think it was planned and it probably has something to do with the Dark Lord."

"Whatever it is," Hermione said worriedly. "The wizarding world is entering a dark and difficult time."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10.

Snape's Competition.

Class in potions was very amusing, as Professor Turmoil (previous DADA teacher) replaced Professor Snape, and was clearly not a natural at this subject. Auri giggled as he clumsily broke a vile containing red bubbly liquid and turned a bright shade of crimson.

"Repairo," the professor mumbled under his breath, and clearing his throat, smiled uneasily. "That wasn't supposed to happen, but that was just a good demonstration of what you should _not_ do in potions class."

A few Gryffindors sniggered.

"Oh, dear," Professor Turmoil drummed his fingers impatiently on his desk. "No homework for tonight, I'm afraid!" The bell rang and students rushed to pack their bags and hurry to their next class.

Defense Against the Dark Arts finally had itself a teacher. Auri was told by rumors that the professor was nicknamed "Dark One" by one of the classes for her peculiar behavior. _Her._ She felt content rise in her stomach as Defense Against the Dark Arts finally had itself a female teacher. As she entered the classroom she noticed a small paper sign on the door which read "Drol Krad: a spell which, if said and done properly, could put the opponent in a deep and heavy slumber. Very rare." "How very rare indeed," Auri thought, bemused. "I wonder if all of the teachers begin to put up signs on their doors about peculiar magical items and spells."

Suddenly she felt a cold lonely mist pour into the room, even though the windows were completely closed, and shuddered uncomfortably. A moment later a tall slender woman entered the room, her blue eyes cold and distant, and her short black hair framing her bony face. Auri swallowed hard and wavered in her seat, feeling the ground spin under her feet. As she stared into the woman's eyes, tears of sadness poured onto her cheeks. Her expression softened because this woman, for some strange outrageous reason felt so homely and warm. Auri remembered her mother and all of the horrible misfortunes that happened to her, sucked in her breath, and collapsed onto the ground, as if paralyzed. When she opened her eyes, she was staring at the same cold pair of beautiful blue eyes. For a very brief moment that pair of blue ice cubes melted into a pool of sky blue water.

But three seconds later, the woman pulled her harshly to her feet and snapped, "I will not have students fainting in my class! If you are that weak and inconsistent, I suggest you leave."

Auri's fingers fluttered up towards her spine and she rubbed the painful spot when the professor rudely seated her. She said nothing, staring at her desk with gritted teeth.

"I will continue," the woman said in a very business like tone, and indeed, went on. "You deserve a proper introduction. I am your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. My name is Francesca Harbor, but you will call me Professor Harbor, or Miss Harbor. Is that clear?"

The class stared at her in stiff horror and each and every one of them understood at that exact moment that Francesca Harbor was not a teacher you wanted to disturb. She was perhaps, if even possible, worse than Snape himself.

"Now then," she said with a stomach-churning smile that passed Snape's smirk by far. "It is time for us to begin the lesson. Please read page 197 on the Drol Krad spell. I am sure, you have noticed this spell posted on my door."

The Droll Krad spell is a unique and very rare spell which is legal only under circumstances of testified defense. If said correctly, this spell will put an opponent into a deep sleep for 5 years at most. It was used abusively by countless Death Eaters and wizards.

"Are we… are we going to be performing this spell?" Parvati Patil asked shyly.

"Have you not read the page?" Professor Harbor demanded with narrowed eyes. "It clearly states that it is only to be used under circumstances of defense. Do you honestly think that I would put you into such danger? And noted, there is no counterspell for this one."

When the bell rang, Francesca Harbor glared at every member of the classroom before saying in a loud voice, "I want a thorough, researched paper on this spell by Friday!"

Aurora rubbed her spine once again before groaning softly and exiting out the door. She noticed a large group of students crowded in the Great Hall before the bulletin board. They were overlooking a notice printed in large, bold letters: "Gryffindor Quidditch Team."

"I completely forgot!" she whispered to herself and pushed through the crowd to read the names.

Seeker: Aurora Patterson

Keeper: Ronald Weasley

Beaters: Jonathan Burks, Abraham Foxley

Chasers: Sarah Cummings, Ben Driesdale, Michael Corner

She dashed into the Gryffindor Common Room, finding Harry, Ron and Hermione positioned on the armchairs by the fire as usual.

"Ron!" she said a little too loud. "Y-you're the keeper of the Quidditch team! I never knew you tried out."

"I know. I checked the bulletin board. And you're the seeker!" Ron had an impressed look on his face.

She laughed lightly. "What a surprise, isn't it?"

Hermione smiled brightly, looking up from the book she was reading. "Auri, I'm so glad you made it. Didn't I tell you, you would?"

She was about to answer when a gray barn owl flew into the room squawking. It landed on Auri's shoulder, boring sharp claws into her skin and dropping a crimson letter with a gold Gryffindor seal in her hands. Auri winced but quickly undid the seal and took out the letter that was inside.

Dear Aurora,

I would like to congratulate you for joining the Quidditch team as the new seeker. I'm sure you will do a marvelous job out there. Today is our 8:00 lesson. Please bring your books to my office. The password is "Raspberry Trickletart".

Sincerely,

Albus Dumbledore

She blushed slightly when reading the letter, and tucked it into her robes.

"You never tell us anything," Ron said childishly.

Auri gave him a twisted smile. "Because what's in this letter isn't worth your attention." She bid them good-bye, collected the books Dumbledore gave her, and practically flew up the stairs to Dumbledore's office, yelling "Raspberry Trickletart" enthusiastically. The portal door opened and she placed her books on the desk, smiling widely.

"Ah… Auri," Dumbledore said in a soft, silvery voice. "Here on time, as usual."

"Good evening, professor, sir," Auri said politely.

"I assume you learned all of your spells and lessons," he proceeded with a small nod. "Please demonstrate the Wingardium Laviosa spell, the one you couldn't quite get last week."

Aurora bit her lip in concentration and staring at the cup, lifted it up easily and wordlessly.

After a long silence, Dumbledore said quietly, thoughtfully fidgeting with his half-moon spectacles, "Child, have you said the spell in your head?"

"Well, y-yes… I'm sorry if I had done something wrong - "

"Please," Dumbledore interrupted her calmly. "What you did was a highly valued gift. It is called Occlumency, or the ability to perform spells wordlessly. It catches the opponent off guard and is a very useful tactic."

"I-I never knew that," she said truthfully, never seeing herself as a talented young mind.

"You have more gifts than I had anticipated," Dumbledore said with a smile, his eyes twinkling. "Perhaps it is time I have taught you advanced magic. But first, I would like to expand your knowledge of Occlumency. Your potions master, Severus Snape, is very skilled in this area, in fact, much more than I am, but he has retired so I must teach you."

He withdrew his wand from his silver star-strewn robes and his hand assumed a graceful position in the air.

"Now," he continued softly. "Occlumency is the ability to read minds. It is also the ability to block others from reading your mind, and to silently perform spells. I would like you to try a spell on me. In your head."

"What?" Auri almost yelled. "Professor, no, I don't want to hurt you!"

"I promise you that all will be well with me," Dumbledore said with a kind smile and a jerk of his head, which meant "now if you please will begin."

She sighed and closing her eyes, thought hard "Expellamus" but was backfired by a spell of Dumbledore's own and was sent flying across the room.

"Wow! That was incredible!" she said excitedly, leaning against the wall for support.

"It was fairly alright," Dumbledore replied contently. He asked if there was no damage done to her, and when Auri nodded, he said, "Try another spell. In your head."

"Levicorpos," she thought with great concentration. This time, Dumbledore was flung upside down in thin air, his robes muffling his strained voice.

"Oh my," Auri suppressed a giggle. "I'm terribly sorry." She pointed her wand at the professor and he gently floated to his feet.

"That was very good," he complemented her, straightening his robes.

"I-I really am sorry," she apologized, feeling the laughter rumble in her throat.

"There is no need to," Dumbledore replied simply, showing no sign of embarrassment whatsoever. "You are progressing quickly. During our next lesson I will teach you how to block your mind. Good night, Miss Patterson."

"G-good night, sir," Auri faltered, and stumbled out the door. When she was safe outside of Dumbledore's office, she erupted into uncontrollable laughter, replaying the scene of the "Levicorpus" spell in her mind. It was the longest and sweetest laugh she had in two full months.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11.

Quidditch Practice.

A/N: You are incredible! Yes, I am referring to all of the fanfiction users that are reading my chapters. Your support is overwhelming me, and your reviews (I'm sure other users have said this, but someone is bound to repeat this phrase) and your reviews make my day. And please, if you read my chapters and haven't reviewed yet, please drop a line or two on how this could be better.

Auri quickly changed into her regular orphan clothes and eagerly gazed out the window on the first day of winter. Already snow was softly floating on the ground and encompassing Hogwarts in an early, sparkling winter wonderland. With shaking fingers, she pulled on a sweater (the one Hermione gave her, mind you chapter 7) and ran into the Common Room, trampling a couple of unsuspecting, lazy second years. Hermione was asleep on one of the red armchairs with a knitting kit resting on her lap and her mouth slightly open, as if in wonder. She regretted for a moment, but then woke her, Ron, and Harry up.

"Hmm?" Ron mumbled in his sleep. "Oh, Auri, kiss me. If Herm - "

Aurora flushed furiously and shook him even more vigorously.

"What?" Harry was the first one to open his eyes.

"It's snowing!" she said happily, ignoring his rude tone.

"It is?" Ron and Hermione said at the same time, and then blushed.

She dragged the three of them to the window to prove the evidence, and then outside, where the cold early frost stung their cheeks. Auri twirled in the snow, laughing uncontrollably, her long auburn wavy hair sprinkled with snowflakes.

"Isn't this wonderful?" she turned to the three friends, her long eyelashes now heavy with white snow, and her cheeks red from excitement.

"Yes, it is," Ron said absent-mindedly, staring at her.

Hermione's eyes narrowed for a brief moment and she said in an icy tone, "I think it's time to go back now."

"Why? We just got here," Auri said and playfully flung a snowball in Hermione's face.

Hermione brushed the snow off of her cheeks and grinned. She piled up an even larger snowball and flung it at Auri's chest. Quite soon, Auri was numb from the throws coming from all of the directions. She gasped from laughter and escaped to the castle, carrying a large mound of snow along with her.

"Hey, that's cheating!" Ron grinned, and the three of them followed her inside the castle.

"Well, I can't help it," she breathed heavily. "I'm-I'm tired."

"Quidditch practice is in ten minutes," Harry said suddenly with a serious flicker in his eyes.

"Then we can all go together!" Auri said cheerfully, grinning at Ron. She hurried to the girl's dormitories, quickly brushed her hair, and ran towards the snowy field. She grabbed an old broom from the closet and joined the rest of the Quidditch players in a straight line before Harry.

"Welcome to the first Quidditch practice!" he bellowed. "We've got to be in top shape! Our very first match is in January against Slytherin." Everyone knew that it was their ultimate duty to defeat the nasty Slytherins.

"Now!" He shouted. "When I call your name, please say 'here' clearly. You must be present at all practices! I don't care about your problems, if you can't handle it, we'll find someone else to replace you!"

Auri felt a tight knot in her throat. Harry was not at all sincere with the players. She wondered how much they respected him.

"Our seeker, Aurora Patterson!"

"Here!" Auri shouted at the top of her lungs.

"Ronald Weasley, our keeper!"

"At your service!" Ron yelled humorously.

"Jonathan Burks, one of our beaters!"

"Present!" someone yelled in the same humorous ton as Ron. Auri giggled and leaned in to glimpse at the boy who let her catch the snitch at the tryouts. He winked at her and smiled widely. Auri's heart leapt and she curled her hands into tight fists to stop her body from shaking tremendously.

"Abraham Foxley!"

"Here, mate!"

"Sarah Cummings, chaser!"

"I'm here!" a female with short blond hair answered. She looked so familiar… Of course! This was the girl that gave her floo powder to visit Hogsmede and find Ron, Harry, and Hermione.

"Ben Driesdale, Michael Corner!"

"Of course!" two boys answered simultaneously.

Harry marked something on his clipboard, and then ran his fingers through his messy black hair, thinking. "You know the drill. One round around the stadium! Be quick, we've got lots of work to do."

If Auri's face was pink out in the cold with the three of the friends, her cheeks were burning hot by the time practice was finished. She was about to go into the castle when someone tapped her shoulder. It was Harry.

"You've got to get a new broom," he said and nodded at the old shaggy school broom.

"But I don't have any - ," she began.

"Galleons," he finished gruffly. "I know. I'll buy one for you. Not to worry." And with that, he turned around and walked off in a different direction. Auri was left standing with the snow silently falling from above, with her mouth hanging open. Generosity coming from Harry was an unusual feature. Pleasant, but still unusual.

"Blimey, you were great at practice!" Ron beamed in the Common Room.

"Yeah?" Auri said tiredly. "You did well, too." She took a seat in one of the red armchairs and closed her eyes.

"Are you alright?" he asked her cautiously.

"It's just that I've got a lot to think about… and I'm… I'm very tired. I'm sorry, Ron," she sighed.

"I'm off to the library," he said, placing a warm hand on her shoulder. "Hermione's helping me write that essay for Francesca Harbor."

"Not a very good start for a new Hogwarts teacher," Auri said drowsily and rested her head on the back of the armchair.

"No, not at all," he agreed quietly and seated his lean self on the right arm of the chair.

"Weren't you about to…" Auri half-opened her eyes but then yawned, and her voice broke off.

"There is something on your face," he said in the same quiet tone, slowly reaching a hand to her cheek and stroking it.

"Ron, that wouldn't be – " his cool hand burned her cheek, and for some reason she couldn't get the last word to come out of her dry throat.

He wrapped his arms tightly around her waist and lifted her body up just so that he could gaze into her large clear blue eyes.

"W-what are you doing?" Auri said, but the question came out as a flat, quivering statement. _He was doing._ But really, was he drunk? Did he swallow a horrible tasting pill? Did someone hex him? Did someone put a spell on him, and think it funny to see its results? Her face suddenly turned white, blank, and expressionless; only her eyebrows were arched as if in fake surprise. She tried to weakly pull away from him but his arms were wrapped securely around her. Her heart was pumping wildly and her stomach did a chemical leap when he presented her with a twisted, secretive smile. She felt his breath on her face, moving closer and closer… she could see every single freckle on his cheeks now.

Auri turned away and bit her lip to keep it from trembling. "Ron, let me go," she said in a firm, but quiet voice.

He didn't say anything.

"Please," she said a little more firmly. "Ron."

She felt his grip loosen on her waist and felt that she could breathe normally.

"Y-you don't like me," he said as a small tear trailed down his cheek.

"Yes, I do," Auri said, looking into his eyes. "But I like you as a friend… And where on earth did you get the idea that it was alright for you to… to… to…" She didn't finish.

"Nowhere," he answered bleakly. "I just hoped that you would feel the same way."

"Well, I don't!" Auri said a little cruelly. "And don't ever try something like that on me ever again!"

Ron nodded like an obedient puppy dog being scolded and left without dinner for ruining the freshly sweet smelling flowers in the garden. He walked quickly out of the room with his head held low.

"Ron, I – " Auri said desperately, but he was already gone.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12.

Promise Me.

Auri ignored Ron throughout the week at every chance she got, earning a few surprised glances from Harry and Hermione. When Ron walked into the room, she would straighten herself and quickly walk out as if at any minute, the room would be contaminated with an unknown and horrendous disease. She was happy that Ron was not in any of her classes because that excluded her chances of meeting with him. When the Common Room was full, she forced herself to stay to minimize possible questions on what happened with her. Then he would stare at her from his armchair and she would sigh because of the lonely, yet furious glint in his eyes that made her feel guilty. She forced her mind to travel to the textbook she was reading, but all the while she felt his eyes on her, and twitched nervously in her chair. The week had gone by quickly, yet tediously, especially for Auri because she suffered terribly from the invisible pressure being extracted from the very walls of the warm, glowing Gryffindor Common Room.

Auri walked swiftly out of the castle on a Saturday evening to clear her mind and forget her troubles and concerns, at least for a brief hour. Hermione silently came up behind her and Auri shuddered when she greeted her.

"You scared me," Auri said crossly.

"I'm sorry," Hermione walked quickly to keep up with Auri's long, savage strides. "I've been meaning to ask you something, but I haven't had the chance because this week was pretty hectic."

Auri walked faster. She was almost running past the frozen, snow covered pumpkin patch now. She had an idea what Hermione wanted to question her about, and she wasn't sure she would be ready to expose her feelings. Hermione snatched her gruffly by the hand and turned to face her.

"Do you mind?" she said, sniffling from the cold.

Auri sighed again, her breath forming tiny ice crystals in the air, and then pulled her lips together.

"Ask away," she said without her usual cheer.

Hermione's face loosened and she said in a friendlier manner, "For instance, why have you been acting so strange around Ron? When he walks in, you walk out. And all of a sudden there's this sad, lonely aura to you." She looked at the sky as if straying from the conversation and then shook her head, "It's just not right."

"Why don't you ask Ron?" Auri replied coldly.

"Because he won't tell me anything!" Hermione said angrily.

Auri sucked in her breath, but didn't say a word.

"And I'm not about to lose a friend!" Hermione continued a little more calmly.

"Lose me? What do you mean?" Auri pretended to look confused.

"Don't be stupid!" Hermione was almost yelling. "You spend less and less time with us, and we're not about to remove Ron just so you can stay in the Common Room!"

"Well, I'm not asking you to!" Auri yelled back and tears rolled down her frostbitten cheeks.

"Are you- are you crying?" Hermione asked cautiously.

Auri turned away to wipe her cheeks and then said in a trembling voice, "I already lost a friend… And I don't think I'm getting him back."

"I don't understand," Hermione replied and swallowed hard. It wasn't everyday that a happy, smiling girl broke into tears.

"Ron tried to kiss me, okay?" Auri was almost screaming now. "Are you happy now?"

"He – what?" Hermione said faintly, her face turning pale.

"We were in the Common Room, and I was- I was tired," Auri said, her voice breaking. "And then he- he pulled me closer to him and tried to- to…" She tried to get the words out, but instead, a helpless cry arose from her chest.

"I t-told him t-to stop," she said, hiccupping. "And he got m-mad and left. I-I don't want to be in the same room as him anymore. He's not a friend. I don't know w-what he is."

Hermione cleared her throat and started to wring her hands nervously.

"And… and do you like him?" she said quietly.

"Ron?" Auri said in disbelief. "Of course not!"

"So what are you going to do?" she said in a composed tone.

"I…" Auri began but then shook her head, and tears rolled down her neck. "I really don't know. And I'm sick of him staring at me like that! I want my friend back."

"This is more complicated than I thought," Hermione said softly. "You'll have to tell him that. Explain. Maybe he will understand."

"I'd rather ignore him, it's more comfortable," Auri said, in what would have been a joke, but nobody laughed.

"If you tell him that, you'll feel better," Hermione said, walking in place to keep warm from the cold.

"You're right," Auri sighed and gazed in the direction of the castle. "And Hermione… I'd appreciate if you kept this quiet."

"Of course!" Hermione replied, her face reddening, and the two of them walked back to the castle. The Common Room was empty and quiet except for the one person Auri feared would be there, waiting.

"I can't do this," Auri said in a deadly whisper, looking at Hermione with fear in her eyes.

"You've got to," Hermione said quietly, pushed her towards the fireplace, and left.

Auri sighed heavily, twiddling with her hands and then cleared her throat. Ron opened his eyes, and stretched. He stared at her and blinked, breathing, "Auri…"

"Yes, it's me," she said, feeling more uncomfortable with every second. "I-I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry for ignoring you. This has been… very strange for me."

Ron straightened his back and listened closely.

"This doesn't mean that I automatically… you know, like you," Auri had a great difficulty in choosing appropriate words. "But Ron… oh please, I've been so lonely. Please be my friend again."

"Is… is that it?" he looked disappointed.

She flung herself around his neck and cried, her shoulders shaking, and her cold salty tears rolling down his chest. He pulled her away from him and gently looked into her eyes.

"Auri," he said, smiling sadly. "You don't have to cry anymore."

"Promise me you'll be my friend and nothing more," she said, steadying her uneven breathing. "Promise me!"

"I… I," he began but cut himself off. There was a great moment of silence. Finally, he sighed and nodded, "If you can't be mine, then I'll have to accept you as something less."

She smiled through her tears and gave him a wet kiss on the cheek. "Thank you," she whispered and walked out of the Common Room. It was nice to have a friend back.


End file.
